IQ and the Imperial Project: A Manufactured Intelligence
The persistent drumbeat from outlets like Newsweek, offering 'simple ways parents can boost kids' IQ at home,' serves a deeper ideological function. This narrative, perennially recycled, positions intelligence as a malleable, individually cultivated trait, effectively sidestepping the profound impact of structural inequalities. It suggests that educational disparities are a matter of parental
diligence, not systemic resource allocation or historical disadvantages. This framing echoes a long history of meritocratic myths. Consider the eugenics movement, which gained significant traction in the early 20th century. By 1931, the US states had collectively performed over 30,000 forced sterilizations, often on individuals deemed 'mentally deficient,' a classification frequently applied to
racial minorities and the poor. The very development of IQ tests, notably by Alfred Binet in France, was intended to identify children needing extra help, not to create a fixed hierarchy of intelligence. However, it was quickly co-opted in the US by figures like Henry Goddard, who used it to justify segregation and immigration restrictions, claiming certain groups possessed inherently lower
intelligence. This historical misuse demonstrates how 'intelligence' metrics are weaponized to uphold existing power structures. Today, the discussion remains centered on individual interventions rather than societal overhauls. We are told parents 'can boost' their child's IQ, while vast swathes of the population lack access to adequate healthcare, nutrition, or safe learning environments, factors